Workers' federation calls for protection of people with HIV at workplaces
Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) have asked stakeholders to come up with a policy that can protect employees living with HIV at their respective workplaces.
Speaking to the media during the engagement meeting with employers to mark the 16 days of activism against Gender- Based Violence and pre World AIDS Day commemoration on Thursday, Mr George Tamale, the workplace health specialist from FUE said that there is need to have a policy which aims at ending inequalities at workplaces especially for people living with HIV.
“There several interventions that FUE together with Reproductive Health Uganda have designed for workplaces to benefit from so that they have violence free workplaces without harassment and descent with equality and gender equity,” he said.
Mr Tamale said HIV has been in the country for long and some people were born with HIV but managed to prosper despite being positive, noting that there is need for companies to have policies to protect workers living with HIV through sensitisation and having favourable working conditions for them.
“There is need for companies to provide adequate knowledge about sexual reproductive health, workers must be helped to know the basic facts on how to associate with people living with HIV, how HIV is spread and prevented instead of discriminating them,” he said.
Mr Tamale also revealed that FUE has have engaged top managers in companies to sensitise them on the business case for investing in gender equality at work places, the business case in HIV/AIDs, sexual harassment and forming up committees which can follow up the implementation of the policy .
“We have also trained workplace structures to effectively play their role and have committee that will receive complaints on violence and harassment from workers, where they can report freely such issues,” he said
Mr Moses Mupapa, a senior Labour Officer at the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) said the government through Equal Opportunity Commission, are pushing for gender and equity in all government Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that no one is left behind .
“As we are heading on Commemoration of World AIDs Day we need to engage top managers from workplaces to join the cause of having policies protecting employers from discrimination and stigmatisation especially those living with HIV,” he said.
He added that as ministry they still insist that testing for HIV/AIDs at workplaces should not be mandatory but rather optional.
HIV
According to Uganda AIDS Commission, Uganda, for the period 2010-2020, recorded a tremendous improvement in the fight against the HIV and AIDS epidemic. It is among the eight countries in the world that had fully achieved the 90–90–90 targets by the end of 2020.
The number of people living with HIV increased from 1.2M to 1.4M largely due to improved access and utilization of HIV services like testing, care and treatment. There was tremendous reduction in new HIV infections among the various age and population groups. The AIDS-related deaths significantly reduced, hence reducing the number of AIDS-related orphans.
